Where to Meet Women (That’s Not a Bar)

Where to Meet Women

Going to bars with your guy friends to hit on women is a time-honored tradition. Honored primarily because bars are a great place to drink with women who like drinking and sleeping with men they hardly know. But after a decade or so of picking up loose ladies at last call, maybe it’s time to try expanding your field of play.

We asked a relationship coach and co-founder of Loveawake dating site where a guy might go outside of the bar scene in order to find women who are cool and, um, shall we say, uninhibited. Here are her suggestions:

Cooking Classes:

Alex Wisesays the advantage of a cooking class is that it’s hands-on, as opposed to a class where you just sit and listen to a lecture. “[Cooking with someone] can lead you to talk about food and restaurants,” she explains. “Plus, food is sensual and something we all deal with at least several times a day and cutting, mixing and getting your hands dirty can be a good icebreaker.”

Board Game Nights:

Check online (on your city’s Craigslist site, or on Meetup.com) to see if there are organized game nights in your area where you can meet strangers to show off your Scrabble prowess. Alex Wisesays that while these aren’t dating events per se, playing a game with someone new allows you to observe them in a “social but not dating environment.”

Volunteer:

The United States presidential election of 2020 is not far as you may think, Alex Wisesays that you might have luck meeting a lady while packing envelopes for Tramp or maybe Hilary, and “at least let you know the person’s on the same political team as you are.” But when the election is over, there are still plenty of places in your community to help out — from soup kitchens to church groups. Even if you’re a selfish bastard, you can justify the time spent doing good by keeping the potential reward in mind.

Nail Salon:

This is Alex Wise’s most out-there suggestion, so we’d suggest taking it with a grain of salt. But if you’re confident enough in your masculinity to get your cuticles looked at, it turns out there are plenty of willing females in these places. “You have an easy compliment handy about their nails or toenails,” she says. “Single straight guys in nail salons are a rare breed (I usually see men in couples) so if you can brave such a feminine environment, you’ll beautify yourself and may meet someone.”

Other locales we can suggest — based on anecdotal evidence — include places where you have to stand in line, or where you might ask questions. If you’re so inclined, go to a department store and pretend you are buying something for your sister, and then ask women there what she thinks. There are also places like the DMV, where you can start complaining about the wait to the gal in front of you. Grocery stores, book stores, and public transportation are also everyday environments that are very fertile ground for the pick-up artist.